The vast majority of pet identification tags in use today are constructed from metal or rigid plastic and attached to the animal's collar by means of a metal split ring or metal S-hook. Additionally, supplemental registration or vaccination tags required by many localities are typically stamped metal tags attached by pet owners to the same metal split ring or metal S-hook attachment device and worn by the animal as a set of tags. In practice, these existing devices present the following disadvantages.
Metal split rings can be very difficult to operate, as the opposing helical rings may require that considerable force be applied in order to separate them far enough apart so that the collar ring and identification tags can be slipped between the two adjacent helical rings. This is typically done with a person's fingernail and can be especially difficult to accomplish with the smaller sized split rings commonly used for pet identification tag applications. Metal S-hooks typically require that the S bend in the hook be opened and closed with pliers or a similar tool, which can pose an inconvenience for some people.
Supplemental tags typically require periodic replacement based on municipal registration or vaccine tag expiration dates. Additionally, identification tags themselves are often replaced on a regular basis due to wear or a change in the owner's address or contact information. As described above, metal split rings and S-hooks can be difficult to use, causing inconvenience for the pet owner each time an expired, updated, or worn tag must be replaced. Additionally, metal S-hooks are weakened each time they are bent and can break or later loosen while in use.
Both metal split rings and metal S-hooks cause the tag body to dangle further from the animal's neck than desirable, as this hardware interface effectively adds length to the tag attachment point. This creates a dangerous situation for an animal should the attached identification tag become entangled with another object, as the animal could be injured trying to free itself or even die from starvation or exposure if entrapped in a remote outdoor location.
Both metal split ring and metal S-hook identification tag attachment devices in combination with rigid plastic or metal identification tags present a possible strangulation danger when attached to an animal's neck collar. When an identification tag affixed to a collar with such a device is rotated beyond approximately 270 degrees, the metal split ring or metal S-hook reaches the limit of its free rotational arc and the collar itself begins to twist, creating a tourniquet effect that can quickly cause injury to the animal or strangulation death. This can occur if the animal's identification tag becomes entangled with a ground level object such as the floor of a pet crate, floor mounted heating and cooling vents or deck boards; and the animal happens to move in a circular motion around the point of entanglement in an attempt to free itself. Several patents have addressed a safety release for entrapped tags through the use of a breakaway buckle or clasp on the animal collar itself; see U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,404 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,941, for example. While these may provide a degree of protection for tag entrapment, the vast majority of collars in use today do not employ this feature. Building an identification tag and associated interface system that reduces entrapment risk is beneficial for the millions of standard collars in regular use today.
The use of a split ring or S-hook as an attachment device on a typical collar D-ring in combination with a tag that has a front to rear attachment opening causes the dangling tag to rest in a natural side to side orientation when worn by the animal verses a more practical and visually appealing front to back tag orientation.
When various tags are attached next to one another on the animal's collar with an intermediate attachment device as described above, the metal or hard plastic tag materials strike against one another when the animal moves causing a harsh jangling sound. This undesirable noise can be irritating to pet owners during daily activities such as when walking their dogs or when their pets sleep in close proximity to them. The tag generated noise can also be problematic for animals that are required to function in a quiet fashion or in quiet environments such as working dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, hunting dogs, show dogs and dogs brought to the owner's workplace. Additionally, a metallic tag noise can cause excited or aggressive behavior in other animals. Existing art for eliminating or muffling the jangling effect of tags call for the wrapping of the tags within an enclosure (U.S. Pat. No. 6,735,894; U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,426; U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,566), or placing the tags in a separate holder assembly (U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,798). Both methods may be effective with respect to noise control but represent very different design approaches and specific execution than does the present invention.
Existing art for the permanent placement of pet identification on non-metal pet tags relates to the use of outer surface printing in the case of non-laminated tag materials, and etched or cut lettering in the case of laminated plastic tag materials, where a contrasting color layer is exposed by etching or cutting through the outer laminate surface to expose the form of the desired lettering in the sub-layer.